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Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: mantaray on 06 March 2017, 19:09:16

Title: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 06 March 2017, 19:09:16
Question about speedo drive ratios.

Since doing all the mods to my manta A, I now have a speedo that is reading about 20% low, ie Speedo reads 50 mph when actual road speed 58 mph.

The gear box ( carlton R25) has a Yellow (19 teeth) drive fitted at the moment, but a Red (18 tooth) or Blue (20 tooth) drives are available.

Am I correct in thinking that by fitting a red drive, the drive will turn faster and therefore increase the speedo speed reading.
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: cam.in.head on 06 March 2017, 19:15:24
. With the manta 'b' axles the yellow is for the 3.67:1 ratio and the red for the 3.44. With standard dia tyres. If the 'a' is similar ratios it should do what you want
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 06 March 2017, 19:23:16
. With the manta 'b' axles the yellow is for the 3.67:1 ratio and the red for the 3.44. With standard dia tyres. If the 'a' is similar ratios it should do what you want

Thats the problem, I'm running Carlton R25 box, 3.307 diff with 205x50x16 wheels

But from what you are saying the red drive should bring it a bit better anyway.
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Andy H on 06 March 2017, 19:37:01
By my calculation you need 22 teeth

(58mph / 50 mph X 19 teeth = 22.04 teeth)
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 06 March 2017, 19:37:58
Wheel diameter is largely irrelevant. The rolling radius is what you need to know... match the current tyres with the original sizes and you're sorted :y

ie 245/40/18 has an identical rolling radius to 225/55/16 :y
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 06 March 2017, 20:01:07
Tyre size is about the same.

Carlton had 195-65 x15, I'm running 205-55 x16, -0.4% differance.
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Andy H on 06 March 2017, 20:07:26
By my calculation you need 22 teeth

(58mph / 50 mph X 19 teeth = 22.04 teeth)
Scrub that - more teeth would give a lower indicated reading. I should have divided the current reading by the required reading:

50mph / 58mph X 19 teeth = 16.38
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 06 March 2017, 20:15:02
By my calculation you need 22 teeth

(58mph / 50 mph X 19 teeth = 22.04 teeth)
Scrub that - more teeth would give a lower indicated reading. I should have divided the current reading by the required reading:

50mph / 58mph X 19 teeth = 16.38

You did confuse me there for a min. ;D
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Andy H on 06 March 2017, 20:37:59
I imagine you will need something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gear-Ratio-Adapter-to-speed-your-Speedometer-up-20-/132076508957 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gear-Ratio-Adapter-to-speed-your-Speedometer-up-20-/132076508957)

(http://i16.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/d8/20/0e_12.JPG?set_id=7)
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: cam.in.head on 06 March 2017, 20:59:09
I suppose it depends on the amount of absolute accuracy you are aiming for.when you replace a yellow drive with a red drive it will increase the speedo reading like you thought but will it be still not enough.are there any 16 tooth wheels. Maybee on a different gearbox that would fit the carlton box or even the actual nylon cog on the shaft ?
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 06 March 2017, 21:12:26
I only found out it was reading wrong, after getting a speeding ticket, for doing 58 mph in a 50 zone. :'( When i know I was below 50 on the speedo, as I am very carefull past that camera haveing been done by it a couple of years ago.

Since then i have been using a Satnav, and can see it is about 20% out. Not a big problem, but it would be nice if I can sort it.
Might take a speedo apart and see how esay they are to calibrat.
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: cam.in.head on 06 March 2017, 21:35:15
Moving the needle to align with 50mph at 50mph would be easy enough but that doesnt mean other indicated speeds would be correct. I beleive there is a tension spring as well. Is this how they calibrate them ?
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: ajsphead on 07 March 2017, 08:24:19
Easiest solution would be to get the speedo recalibrated, common enough in the classic car world. Try Richfield flexible drives in Nottingham
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Kevin Wood on 07 March 2017, 10:28:53
There was always a company called "speedy cables" who recalibrated speedos for the kit car community.

In fact, here they are: http://www.speedycables.com/ (http://www.speedycables.com/)

You used to be able to measure how many turns the speedo cable makes against how car the car has moved, send this info along with your speedo to them and they'd recalibrate it. Might be worth a call. :y
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Kevin Wood on 07 March 2017, 10:31:02
.. but a 3.307 diff is a very tall ratio for a 5 speed gearbox! Might be worth making sure you're happy with the performance with this ratio first. It would suit a diseasel engine nicely.
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: TheBoy on 07 March 2017, 13:23:28
.. but a 3.307 diff is a very tall ratio for a 5 speed gearbox! Might be worth making sure you're happy with the performance with this ratio first. It would suit a diseasel engine nicely.
A diesel Manta, urgh!

I suppose it'd be unique though ;D
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: aaronjb on 07 March 2017, 14:14:36
.. but a 3.307 diff is a very tall ratio for a 5 speed gearbox! Might be worth making sure you're happy with the performance with this ratio first. It would suit a diseasel engine nicely.

2.88 in my toy car..  :-X ;)
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 07 March 2017, 16:45:42
Yeah, but that will do 0-HolyshitIamabouttodieinafireball in top :D
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 07 March 2017, 21:18:20
A diesel Manta, urgh!

I suppose it'd be unique though ;D

Has been done. I friend of mine, used to have a 1.7 Diesel Astra engine in his Manta hatch about 10 years ago.

.. but a 3.307 diff is a very tall ratio for a 5 speed gearbox! Might be worth making sure you're happy with the performance with this ratio first. It would suit a diseasel engine nicely.

Used to run a 3.44:1 diff before, and it was too high. The 3.307 seems to be fine, acceleration is still eppic and will will crouse quite happily at 70-80 mph. Top speed not too worried about, had her up to 120 with more still there, but the car was never designed for that speed and the front end starts to go light above 110 mph. ;D
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 March 2017, 10:20:18
What engine is it running?

If you're happy with it, I'd source the closest gearbox speedo drive pinion to the "correct" ratio, then talk to speedy cables if the speedo is still too far out.

Speedos are normally set up to over-read by a small margin.
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: mantaray on 08 March 2017, 18:55:03
What engine is it running?


2.5 V6, 215bhp last time she was on the rolling road.

(http://www.crclassics.co.uk/pics/v6/tn_jpic(161)a.jpg)
Title: Re: Not Omega, but R25 gearbox related. Question about speedo drive ratios.
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 March 2017, 23:22:48
Nice. :-*

I guess it has the power-to-weight to cope with longish gear ratios. ;)